Let Jolene lend you an ear

By Megan Steele, Industrial Hygiene Technical Advisor I love to run in the evenings to decompress after work. I’ll never win any medals or post impressive lap times, but I am diligent in my shuffling. Once the workday is over, I lace up my shoes, pop in my ear buds, and head out to the …

Stand Down for Trench Safety

By Bruce Loughner, CSP, Technical Safety Advisor A trench cave-in can trap you within seconds and kill you within minutes. One excavator buck load, or one cubic yard of soil, weighs about 3,000 pounds. If the walls collapse and you’re buried, you could suffocate in less than three minutes. The weight of the soil causes …

June is…

By Michael Marr, Safety Technical Resource Consultant National Safety Month is held to celebrate and encourage awareness of the importance of safety. Organized by the National Safety Council (NSC) in 1996, this month marks the 27th year of promoting National Safety Month. Every day this month is a chance to promote safety, not just at …

Safety from the ground up

By Ryan Towns, Senior Compliance Safety and Health Officer With spring in the air, it’s that time of year to dust off the landscaping and grounds maintenance equipment. It’s also important to keep in mind the dangers involved when using this type of equipment. We encourage you to ensure your employees are reviewing safety manuals …

See changes over time with new online archive of Ohio specific safety requirements

By Andrew Hart, Research Librarian – Ohio BWC Library Did you know that until 1971, workplace safety laws and rules were left up to the states? That’s when President Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) into law. However, Ohio still has its own workplace safety laws and rules on the books! …

May is…

By Michael Marr, Safety Technical Resource Consultant May is National Electrical Safety Month and the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) wants to share valuable resources and information about electrical safety for Ohio’s workers and employers. National Electrical Safety Month is sponsored by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFi) to remind the public of the …

Celebrate BWC’s 53 nurses!

By Lori Finnerty, RN, BN, CRRN, Nurse Director Nurses make a difference. That is the theme for May’s National Nurses Month, and it is certainly true for BWC’s 53 nurses. Let us celebrate nurses for what they do every day to make a difference for Ohio’s injured workers. BWC values nursing Personal connections. Relentless excellence. …

STAY COOL !

How to prevent heat illness this summer By Rich Gaul, Safety Technical Advisor Whether you work outside in the hot summer sun or indoors in hot humid conditions, excessive heat can be dangerous. Extreme heat was the third highest weather-related cause of death in 2019 according to the National Weather Service. People who are overweight, …

BWC Employees Receive National Research Award

Three BWC employees were recently presented the Alice Hamilton Award for Occupational Safety and Health in the Epidemiology and Surveillance category for their published research. Mike Lampl, Dave Robins, Steve Naber, and five members of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies wrote a paper titled “Workers’ Compensation …

Let’s Reduce Accidents All Year & During Construction Safety Week

By Michael Marr, Technical Resource Consultant May 2-6 is Construction Safety Week! Construction workers have a strong bond, and this week they come together to focus on safety and protecting one another. Construction Safety Week is a weeklong event that brings the construction industry together. Organizations and associations with ties to the construction industry partner …